Watford signed 24-year-old French and Ghanaian midfielder Pierre Ekwah from AS Saint-Étienne on transfer deadline day on a loan until the end of the season. The EFL Championship club signed the player ahead of interest from fellow Championship side Leicester City and Levante in Spain. The deal includes an option for Watford to make the transfer permanent for a fee of €7.5m. The move followed a period where Ekwah was in a dispute with Saint-Étienne and had not been training with the first team. The player, who has five caps for France U20, joined Saint-Étienne from Sunderland in August 2025 for a reported fee of €6-7 million. According to Transfermarkt, his current market value is estimated to be €3.00m.